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Years before social media had this much power over society, Gossip Girl had already warned us about the dangers of it, even though the characters in the series were not really paying attention. This teen drama show based on the novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, adapted by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, aired from 2007 to 2012 on The CW network. It follows the exclusive and drama-filled lives of the Upper East Side's high-class teens, who happen to be closely scrutinized by Gossip Girl, an anonymous blogger that thrives on chit-chat and seems to know everything.

The show is a clear demonstration of the influence that social media has if it is not properly managed, going so far as to run people's lives. Even though Manhattan teenagers knew how unhealthy this blog was and all the effects it had on people and relationships, they kept on reading it, effectively expanding its audience day by day.

Picture: Leighton Meester (left), Miles Fowler (center) and Adam Brody and Kristen Bell (right).

Still thinking about that kiss? Well, Nobody Wants This will return for a second season on Netflix. The popular romantic comedy is due to begin filming soon, with plenty of familiar faces returning and some new cast members. Below is our list of all the new and returning cast members for Nobody Wants This Season 2 on Netflix.

After a swift renewal, filming for Nobody Wants This was due to get underway in early 2025. However, after a brief delay, filming will begin in March 2025 and is expected to end by April 2025. This means we still expect to see the series premiere on Netflix before the end of 2025.

The series stars Kristen Bell as Joanne, a relationship podcaster, and Adam Brody as Noah, a rabi. Soon after the pair meet and begin dating, they fall in love, but due to their unconventional pairing,...

Actor and producer Yara Shahidi has signed with Objectively Good Management (Ogm) for representation.

Shahidi is best known for starring in ABC’s “Black-ish” and its spinoff “Grown-ish.” Shahidi also executive produced the Freeform show, which wrapped up its six-season run in May, under the 7th Sun Productions banner she runs with her business partner and mother Keri Salter-Shahidi. 7th Sun Productions is signed to a multi-year overall deal with ABC Signature, which expanded in 2022 with the addition of a collaboration with Onyx Collective.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Yara Shahidi to the Ogm family,” stated Mohamed Kheir, the company’s president of management, in a statement announcing the signing. “Yara’s talent, intellect and commitment to impactful storytelling, both as an actor and producer, make her a unique force. We look forward to supporting her as she continues to break new ground and inspire audiences around the world.”

The...

In recent years, Gaten Matarazzo has become a household name since his breakout role as the lovable Dustin Henderson on Netflix’s Stranger Things. Although the Millie Bobby Brown show took the young star to new heights in his career, the 22-year-old was once ready to blow his popular show streak with a surprising career choice. With the series’ final season being delayed, the actor had a chance to take up another project before picking up the popular show.

Gaten Matarazzo in Stranger Things | Credits: Netflix

Most stars would have chosen a role that would keep their popularity up after the Duffer brothers’ hit show. However, Matarazzo chose to follow his heart instead and landed a role on Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy.

Why Gaten Matarazzo chose to join Lego Star Wars

The world might always remember Gaten Matarazzo for his role in Stranger Things. However, with the show...

Quick Links What Is Wonder About? How Wonder Could Possibly Be Considered "Underrated" The Importance of the Film in This Day and Age Discover why Jacob Tremblay's heartwarming role in "Wonder" is considered underrated. "Wonder" offers a realistic and relatable coming-of-age story with a meaningful message. The film teaches valuable lessons on tolerance, acceptance, and the importance of supporting one another.

Jacob Tremblay is certainly making a splash in the industry, and we don't just mean with his role as Flounder in the live-action version of The Little Mermaid. This child actor made his film debut in Smurfs 2 where he played Blue Winslow, but his big breakthrough came when he starred alongside Brie Larson in the horrifyingly realistic psychological drama Room. Since then, Tremblay has pretty much been full speed ahead with his acting career.

He has starred with some of the biggest names in the business, such as Peter Dinklage,...

Pixar isn’t pulling any punches when its new film, Inside Out 2, comes to cinemas on June 14. At a time when films come to digital and streaming services alarmingly fast, Pixar says Inside Out 2 will get an extended theatrical run in favor of being rushed to Disney+ shortly after release.

Speaking with Bloomberg, Pixar president Jim Morris says Inside Out 2 is playing in theaters for at least 100 days. “I hope that we will not release another feature film on Disney+,” Morris explained. “If we do more stuff for Disney+, it should be a series, and then that makes a clean demarcation between what we do for theaters and what we do for streaming.”

Pixar found varying success with several of its most recent films, including Soul, Luca, Turning Red, Lightyear, and Elemental. The studio’s biggest releases underperformed theatrically, mostly due to the pandemic, except Elemental, which...

Emotions are high this afternoon as Pixar debuts a full Inside Out 2 trailer, teasing more of the plot while introducing several new elements to Riley’s psyche. The new trailer arrived just as Pixar Studios invited us to visit their studio later this month to explore Pixar’s highly-anticipated sequel to Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen’s 2015 animated original. I’ll be representing JoBlo during the event and could not be more excited! It’s been a dream of mine to visit Pixar Studios for decades. Make sure you visit the site closer to the film’s release as I report what I saw and share more details about the upcoming sequel!

Kelsey Mann makes her feature directorial debut with Inside Out 2, which includes a script by Meg LeFauve. Pixar announced Inside Out 2 in 2022 at Disney’s D23 Expo. The sequel will wreak havoc on your emotions...

The omission of “My Father’s Dragon” from the 2023 Oscar nominations list for best animated feature sparked murmurings of disapproval from within the industry. The Netflix film — directed by Nora Twomey and a gorgeously hand-drawn adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s beloved children’s fantasy novel — had been lapped up by critics, many of whom assumed it would easily make the cut.

But the disquiet only served to showcase the astonishing track record of “My Father’s Dragon’s” Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, which had earned an incredible four Oscar nominations from its first four features, starting with “The Secret of Kells” in 2009 and followed by “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner” and “Wolfwalkers.”

For Tomm Moore, the lack of a nomination for “My Father’s Dragon” also highlighted just how far animation had come since he co-founded Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny alongside Twomey and Paul Young back in 1999.

“It showed...

Thanksgiving weekend featured an animation face-off between a titan of the industry, the 100-year-old Walt Disney Animation Studios, and a relative upstart, Netflix, which only started releasing its own animated features in 2019.

Disney’s holiday movie, “Wish,” was a musical extravaganza featuring the watercolor backgrounds of the studio’s past combined with cutting-edge CGI, while Netflix’s “Leo” was a more budget-conscious musical set in modern-day Florida.

It was a showdown of theatrical versus streaming, legacy studio versus blustery upstart, fairy tale versus contemporary storytelling. And the results were startling.

While “Wish” came in third at the box office with a disappointing $31.6 million, the Adam Sandler-starring “Leo” debuted to 34.6 million views (which is hours viewed divided by total runtime), according to Netflix, which in box office terms equaled a haul of around $500 million for its opening weekend, one insider with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. “Leo” has been...

Please keep your hands and feet inside the cart at all times as we prepare to ride another roller coaster of emotions with Pixar‘s Inside Out 2! Debuting the day after the actors’ guild reached a tentative agreement to end the ongoing actors’ strike, an Inside Out 2 teaser trailer reminds audiences how much the 2015 animated original added to their therapy bills.

Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Mindy Kaling (Disgust), Bill Hader (Fear), and Lewis Black (Anger) played the emotions in 2015’s Inside Out. However, Hader and Kaling won’t be returning for the sequel, with Tony Hale and Liza Lapira replacing them, respectively. The Inside Out 2 teaser introduces a new emotion to the mix, Anxiety, voiced by Stranger Things and Asteroid City star Maya Hawke. The first film revolves around 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) and the five emotions creating whirlwinds inside her developing brain.

While preparing...

The world is never a nice place in the stories of Roald Dahl. Across the beloved British author's vast body of literature, one will find works about abusive caretakers, sadistic authority figures, and horrible fantasy characters itching to do harm to children. Just as often, though, his tales center on courageous kids and kindly adults willing and able to stand up to these bad grownups and terrifying monsters. It's why Dahl's writing continues to resonate with younger generations, despite the ongoing struggle to reconcile the timeless messages of his novels and short stories with Dahl's many failings as a human being.

Having acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company back in 2021, Netflix has a financial motive for keeping Dahl's stories alive and well in the general public's memory. The streamer has already released a well-received film adaptation of the "Matilda" stage musical based on Dahl's book of the same name,...

The 16th century literary classic Journey to the West is the mother of all Chinese fantasy. The mythological saga has spawned countless adaptations in various media across Asia and beyond, from the cult late ‘70s Japanese TV series to Peking Opera, videogames, graphic novels and a stage spectacle with a score by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and design elements by Gorillaz illustrator Jamie Hewlett.

Prominent among the innumerable film versions is the 2013 blockbuster Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, directed by Stephen Chow. A similar livewire action-comedy energy infuses Netflix’s The Monkey King, a children’s animated feature based on the sprawling novel’s most popular strand, on which Chow serves as executive producer.

Following well-received originals like Klaus, Over the Moon, My Father’s Dragon, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood — plus such smart acquisitions as The Mitchells vs. the Machines...

Variety will host a panel at the Annecy Animation Festival, Breaking the Borders of Animation, focusing on one of the key – and most exciting – talking points in the medium: How animation is currently being revolutionized and reimagined by new waves of creativity and technology.

The panel has been organised with Nickelodeon as its official partner.

On Tuesday June13, Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge will encourage his guests to wonder about the future of the art form, starting with Latifa Ouaou, EVP of Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation, who also executive produced “The Grinch” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”

“Breaking the boundaries of animation is such a great topic to speak about because it’s a very exciting time in animation,” she notes.

“[‘Spider-Man: Across the] Spider-Verse’ was the beginning of a new wave in animation. It gave us the freedom to move away from conventional realism and into bold and abstract expressions of realities.

The Irish animation industry has become increasingly robust over the last 10 years, despite the pandemic and other challenges thrown at the entertainment business. It reflects an overall passion in the country for animation and storytelling as well as a commitment by the Irish government to support the business through economic incentives.

Much of those incentives have come through Enterprise Ireland. Established in 1998 by the Industrial Development Act, Enterprise Ireland is a state-sponsored economic development agency that works with Irish businesses to help them grow and develop. It’s been instrumental in working with the Irish animation industry, helping shops grow through a series of loans, grants and other initiatives.

This has made it possible for studios like Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which has made some of the most notable 2D animated films recently released such as “The Secret of Kells” and “Wolfwalkers,” to create the kind of hand-crafted animation used to...

This year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival looks to break records with a wider international reach and greater studio participation than ever before. Already set to overtake last year’s attendance, the French lakeside fest, runs June 11-17 and had run up 13,300 guests by late May — among them a U.S. delegation more than 700 strong.

“[This year marks] the most important U.S. presence ever at Annecy,” says artistic director Marcel Jean. “We’re taking in historical players such as Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar who will still come, as well as global platforms such as Netflix, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery. And [we’re welcoming] a number of big titles.”

Disney, celebrating its 100th anniversary over the course of the year, plans a special screening of “Fantasia 2000” before offering Annecy’s famously boisterous and youthful crowd a first look at the upcoming animated musical “Wish.” Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Discovery will present behind-the- scenes peeks...

Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo opens up about his deep fear of the show ending with season 5. For four seasons of Netflix's hit series, Matarazzo has endeared himself to audiences as Dustin Henderson, an integral member of the show's close-knit friend group. Matarazzo and the rest of the show's massive ensemble cast will return in Stranger Things season 5, which will be the final season of the hit Netflix series, and finish the fight against the big bad Vecna.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Matarazzo opened up about his biggest concern that comes with Stranger Things season 5 ending the popular Netflix show. The Dustin actor has a "deep fear" of the show ending since he will be losing "pretty great job security" and it will be "back to freelance.” Read his full comments or watch a video below, starting at 2:23:

There’s...

“Stranger Things” star Gaten Matarazzo told Jimmy Fallon during a recent interview on “The Tonight Show” that he’s living in “deep fear” of “Stranger Things” ending after its five-season run on Netflix. The cast will shoot the fifth and final season this year. Playing Dustin, Matarazzo has been a “Stranger Things” lead since the pilot episode.

“It’s interesting to constantly just be reminded how much people have resonated with it,” Matarazzo said when asked about the series coming to an end. “I mean, it’s something that’s so important to all of us and has just been essential to the growth that I’ve had over all of my teenage years into my 20s. It’s the defining aspect of the past 10 years of my life, practically the past decade.”

When Fallon asked if it was “bittersweet” to have to say goodbye to the show, Matarazzo replied,...

Exclusive: Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) and longtime The Walking Dead cast member Ross Marquand have signed on to star alongside Daniel Roebuck (Rob Zombie’s The Munsters) in the crime thriller Tuesday’s Flu, which Roebuck is directing from a script by brothers Stephen and Brian Parri.

Related Story ‘The Umbrella Academy’: Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally & David Cross Join Final Season Cast Related Story Netflix's Spy Pic 'Our Man From Jersey' Adds J.K. Simmons, Jackie Earle Haley, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica De Gouw & Alice Lee Related Story Jackie Earle Haley, Emma Booth And Brian d'Arcy James Join 'Where All Light Tends To Go'

‘Tuesday’s Flu’ is the term that bookies use when gamblers conveniently disappear after the weekend’s losses. The film heading into production next month on the East Coast tells the story of Jason McCutchen (Marquand), a compulsive...

Oscar frontrunner “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won a leading five races at the Annie Awards on Feb. 25, including Best Studio Animated Feature over three of its Oscar rivals — “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “The Sea Beast” and “Turning Red” — plus “Wendell & Wild.” The fifth Oscar contender, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” won Best Independent Feature nominees over “Charlotte,” “Inu-Oh,” “Little Nicholas” and “My Father’s Dragon.”

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” went five for nine with wins also for director, character work, production design and original score. “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” won three of its four bids including writing and voice acting (Jenny Slate). And “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” went two for six with wins for editorial and storyboarding.

Two of the five Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short also featured at these awards. Frontrunner “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” won...

Refresh for latest… The 50th anniversary Annie Awards for animation are being handed tonight at UCLA’s Royce Hall, and Deadline is updating the winners live as they are announced in all 32 categories. See the list below.

Two very different stop-motion films lead the way in nominations from Asifa-Hollywood: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio from Netflix and A24’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On drew up nine and eight noms, respectively, with Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red next with seven.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio took the first film award of the night, for Best Production Design, Feature.

Pinocchio and Turning Red will face off in the marquee Best Feature race against DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Netflix;s The Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild. Macel the Shell is vying for Best Indie Feature against Charlotte; Inu-Oh; Little Nicholas, Happy As Can Be; and My Father’s Dragon.

ABC’s The Conners is adding an Egot winner to its cast.

Whoopi Goldberg will guest-star in an upcoming episode of the comedy. The actress and The View co-host will play a teacher; an airdate for her appearance hasn’t been set.

Goldberg is the latest in a string of high-profile guest stars on The Conners, joining the likes of William H. Macy, Candice Bergen, Matthew Broderick, Juliette Lewis and Patton Oswalt, among others.

Goldberg will play Ms. Glen, Mark’s (Ames McNamara) intimidating music teacher. She also has a complicated history with another member of the Conner family.

In addition to her role as moderator on The View, Goldberg has kept up a busy acting slate in recent years. She has a recurring part on Harlem at Amazon’s Prime Video and has appeared on Star Trek: Picard (reprising her Next Generation role), Godfather of Harlem, The Stand and...

Chris O’Dowd (My Father’s Dragon) and Amy Huberman (A Cat Called Jam) have signed on to lead the voice cast of Puffin Rock and the New Friends, a new animated feature from WestEnd Films in collaboration with Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Northern Ireland’s Dog Ears.

The pic is currently in post-production, and WestEnd will launch sales at EFM where it will be showing buyers footage of the film.

Based on the Irish TV series Puffin Rock, the feature is directed by Jeremy Purcell, whose credits include the animated TV series Joe and Jack as well as the original Puffin Rock series and the animated features Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.

The voice cast is rounded out by Beth McCafferty and Eva Whittaker (Wolfwalkers).

Puffin Rock And The New Friends will follow favorites from the animated series, including Oona, Baba, May, and Mossy, who...

Today, Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced that the second volume of the animated anthology series “Star Wars: Visions” will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. Following on the Emmy Award®-nominated success of “Star Wars: Visions,” the newest volume will continue to push the boundaries of “Star Wars” storytelling, with nine new shorts from 9 studios from around the globe. Employing the most captivating animation styles from a variety of countries and cultures, the second volume offers a dynamic new perspective on the storied mythos of Star Wars.

Title Treatment Available Here: https://wdsprod.box.com/s/iu695c3glvbmhije79ik0zudas4rcqm0

The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s...

The animated world of “Star Wars” is growing.

On Thursday, Disney+ announced “Star Wars: Visions” volume 2 will debut on Star Wars Day, May 4, and shared the incredible lineup of animated shorts in store for fans.

Read More: Christian Bale Still Wants To Do A ‘Star Wars’ Movie: ‘What A Delight That Would Be’

Films for volume 2 are being produced by acclaimed filmmakers and studios from around the world, including Aardman, best known for the “Wallace & Gromit” series, as well as Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, South Africa’s Triggerfish, Japan’s D’art Shtajio, India’s 88 Pictures and more.

“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away. We were delighted that this project inspired and resonated with so many people,” said James Waugh, “Star Wars: Visions” executive producer.

“We always saw ‘Star Wars: Visions’ as a framework for celebratory expressions of the franchise from some of the best creators working today.

Ready your lightsabers because Disney+ and Lucasfilm announced the release date, animation studios, filmmakers, and episode descriptions for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2! The animated anthology will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on May 4, 2023. The newest volume presents a masterclass in animation, with stories prepped to push the boundaries of Star Wars storytelling and more shorts from nine studios around the globe. Featuring animation styles inspired by various countries and cultures, Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 takes the beloved franchise beyond the stars and back again.

Per the official press release for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2:

The shorts included in “Star Wars: Visions” Volume 2 were created by the following international animation studios: El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea) Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). D’Art Shtajio’s short was created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd.

When “Star Wars: Visions” debuted back in 2021, it was just what the doctor ordered. A collection of gorgeously animated shorts by some of Japan’s leading animation studios, the shorts offered up new sensibilities and visual styles that existed outside the comparatively stodgy realms of the live-action “Star Wars” franchise.

Fortunately, “Star Wars: Visions” is coming back on May 4 with a second volume of all-new studios from around the world.

Instead of exclusively Japanese studios, the second volume of “Visions” canvasses our world, with shorts from El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (the United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan) and Triggerfish (South Africa). This is truly an international affair!

Also Read:

‘Devotion’ Filmmaker J.D. Dillard No Longer Developing ‘Star Wars’ Movie for Lucasfilm (Exclusive)

“The reaction to the first volume of ‘Star Wars: Visions’ blew us away.

Photo: Annie Awards 2023

To honor creators of animated Cinema, the International Animation Society presents the Annie Awards, the award show created to give the best-animated projects of the season with an award granted by Asifa-Hollywood (the Los Angeles division of the International Animation Society). Originating in 1972, the Annie Awards will see its 50th award show in February of 2023. Annie Awards 2023 Best Feature ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio’ leads the Annie Awards nominations with nine nominations, including a nomination for Best Feature. The dark and twisted take on the century-old tale received critical acclaim and many awards for Guillermo and Netflix including a Golden Globe for Animated Feature, so it acts as a front-runner in the Best Feature category. Alongside ‘Pinocchio’, Disney and Pixar’s ‘Turning Red’, ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ from DreamWorks Animation, Netflix’s ‘The Sea Beast’, and Netflix, A Monkeypaw Production, and A Gotham Group Production...

Oscar nomination day is often the most exciting and insufferable day of the year for film fans, as we all dedicate far too much time and energy into debating whether or not a group of rich, wealthy, and powerful industry folks made the "right" judgment call on artistic contributions to the world of cinema. I try my best to not hurt my own feelings by getting personally invested in the outcomes, but it's hard to make that emotional separation when you love movies more than anything else in the world. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this conflict, where you want to pretend like none of this matters while knowing deep down, it uh, sort of matters a lot.

Historically speaking, the Best Animated Feature category is where I have the hardest time not getting worked up in my feels about the results. Last year was particularly embarrassing for...

Never underestimate the ability of the academy to deliver some truly jaw-dropping citations (and omissions) on Oscar nominations morning. The announcement of the nominees for the 95th ceremony certainly did not disappoint in that respect, as major contenders in the Best Picture, acting, and technical categories were overlooked in favor of some unexpected picks. See the list of contenders we wrongly predicted below.

See 2023 Oscar nominations full list: ‘Everything Everywhere’ leads with 11, including Best Picture

One of our biggest blunders was overestimating the strength of Darren Aronofsky‘s “The Whale.” While the film did land three major nominations for lead Brendan Fraser, supporting player Hong Chau, and Makeup and Hairstyling, our combined odds also expected it to nab slots in Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay for Samuel D. Hunter, who brought his play of the same name to the screen. Perhaps precursors BAFTA and Critics Choice led us astray by...

The Netflix feature “My Father’s Dragon” is the latest release from Cartoon Saloon, the Irish studio whose traditional, hand-drawn animation has a positively magical effect on its audience. In the case of “My Father’s Dragon,” it had that effect on the people responsible for the film’s score as well.

“The thing about animation is it’s a fantastical, completely created world, so that really takes the guardrails off the music if you’re willing to go there and your director is willing to go there,” “My Father’s Dragon” composer Jeff Danna told IndieWire. His brother and co-composer Mychael Danna added, “Audiences are very sophisticated listeners, especially in live-action films. Everyone has a kind of line in their head where they feel manipulated by the musical score — in our era the line for live-action drama is very different from the line for animation, and I think in this kind of hand-drawn,...

Guillermo del Toro on the set of ‘Pinocchio’ (Photo Credit: Jason Schmidt/Netflix)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a recent winner of the Best Animated Film at the Critics Choice Awards, tops the list of the 50th Annual Annie Awards nominees. Del Toro’s gorgeous stop-motion fairy tale earned nine nominations, including a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category along with Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, and Wendell & Wild.

“After two years of virtual awards, as much fun as they were, everyone is so eager to get back to a live, in-person event,” stated Frank Gladstone, the Annie Awards executive producer. “This is doubly true since this is the Annie Awards 50th year, our Golden Anniversary! We are returning to UCLA’s Royce Hall for an Annies with all the trimmings, and a few surprises. It is important for all of us to be together again,...

Not surprisingly, our five leading contenders for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars also top the Annie Awards nominations announced on January 17. Our predicted winner of that Oscar race, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” reaped a leading nine nominations here. “Turning Red” earned a luck seven, “Puss in Boot: The Last Wish” and “The Sea Beast” merited a half dozen mentions each and “Wendell & Wild” has three. All five number a nomination for Best Studio Animated Feature among their haul.

The Best Independent Feature nominees are: “Charlotte,” “Inu-Oh,” “Little Nicholas,” “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On” and “My Father’s Dragon.”

These precursor prizes are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Association. The ceremony is set for February 25.

Seven of the last 12 Annie Awards champs have previewed the Oscar winner: “Rango” (2012), “Frozen” (2014), “Inside Out” (2016), “Zootopia” (2017), “Coco” (2018), “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2019) and “Soul” (2021).

Last year, the Annies...

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has continued its streak as the most-awarded animated movie of 2022, leading all films in nominations for the 50th Annie Awards, which were announced on Tuesday morning.

A week after winning the Golden Globe and two days after winning the Critics Choice Award, “Pinocchio” picked up nine nominations at the Annie Awards, the main awards show devoted entirely to animation. That total was two more than Pixar’s “Turning Red” and three more than “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “The Sea Beast.” Those four films are competing with “Wendell & Wild” in the Best Feature category, while the Best Indie Feature lineup consists of “Charlotte,” “Inu-Oh,” “Little Nicholas, Happy as Can Be,” “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” and “My Father’s Dragon.”

“Turning Red” and “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” were the only films to be nominated for Best Feature (or Best Indie Feature), Best Direction and Best Writing,...

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio leads the feature competition of the 50th annual Annie Awards for animation, with nine nominations including one in the top category for best animated feature. That’s followed by Turning Red with seven noms and Puss in Boot: The Last Wish and The Sea Beast, with six apiece.

Alongside Pinocchio, the movies Turning Red, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild are nominated for best animated feature. Charlotte, Inu-Oh, Annecy winner Little Nicholas, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and My Father’s Dragon are nominated for best independent animated feature.

It’s was a big morning for Netflix’s young animation unit in the feature categories. Pinocchio, The Sea Beast, My Father’s Dragon and Wendell & Wild were all released from the streaming service.

In the combined best direction category, nominees are Pinocchio‘s del Toro and Mark Gustafson...

Netflix has scored 50 Annie Award nominations across series and features, including bids for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” which leads in individual nominations with nine.

“Pinocchio,” which has picked up 38 awards so far this season, including the Golden Globe for animated feature, is one of three Netflix projects up for best feature, along with “The Sea Beast” and “Wendell & Wild.” Netflix has one contender in the indie feature field: “My Father’s Dragon,” with Cartoon Saloon.

Other films nominated for best feature are Disney-Pixar’s “Turning Red” and DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” Rounding out the indie feature category are “Charlotte,” from January Films, Balthlazar Productions and Walking the Dog; “Inu-Oh,” from Science Saru; “Little Nicholas, Happy as Can Be,” from On Classics (Mediawan) and Bidibul Productions; and “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” from Marcel the Movie, LLC.

Del Toro, with co-director Mark Gustafson, is...

Two very different stop-motion animated films lead the way as nominations for the 50th anniversary Annie Awards were revealed today. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio from Netflix and A24’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On drew up nine and eight noms, respectively, with Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red next with seven.

See the full list of nominees in all 32 categories below.

Related Story As The Best Animated Feature Competition Heats Up, Can Netflix Or Another Newcomer Bring Home The Oscar? Related Story 'Marcel The Shell With Shoes On' Co-Creator & Star Jenny Slate On Making A Moving Miniature Microcosm: "You Can Be Lost In It" Related Story Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo Del Toro & Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The "Three Amigos", Take Us On An Odyssey Through Their History And The Future Of Cinema

It’s another big year for Netflix as its Pinocchio, The Sea Beast and Wendell & Wild will...

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)

The proportions of his eponymous stop-motion character are gangly and childlike, in the words of Guillermo del Toro. “They lend themselves to these sort of haphazard rhythms of walking and running that are very endearing. In his apparent simplicity, is a very complex work of design keeping those few elements alive and on top with the raw wood that is simulating hair and branches, and the nails on his back are very expressive and unique and feel almost elemental.” Director Mark Gustafson points out that in the story, he’s carved by a drunken Geppetto making Pinocchio “very primitive in some ways, unfinished, naked, and exposed. That was what we needed for him to go out into the world with. He can’t hide anything. That’s the nature of innocence. You’re wearing it all on the outside and that’s what this character does.

Another year has come and gone. As we say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023, it's natural to reflect back on the big events of the past calendar year — and given that I'm an editor and critic for /Film, movies are, uh, a pretty big part of my life.

The last year was a big one for me, movie-wise. I joined the /Film family. I took my 3-year-old to his first in-person theater experience. I attended my first film festival as an accredited press person, where I got to be in the same room as some very cool actors, directors, and film critics. I also discovered a love of Thursday afternoon opening weekend matinees at my small town Cineplex.

Generally speaking, this also felt like a big year for the industry in general. We saw the indie-movie-that-could "Everything Everywhere All at Once" beat all odds with an impressive theater run, mostly propelled by word of mouth.

by Nathaniel R

One of the underdiscussed joys of cinema, at least if you're an animal lover, are the non-human creatures that swim, gallop, slither, hop, and play across the screens. Debates continue about the use of non-human actors onscreen, but animal characters can be as memorable as their human scene partners whether they're computer generated, stop motion puppets, or furry or feathered actors. 2022's cinema gave us the full menagerie. Among the most memorable "real" animals, for better and worse, were Empire of Light's wounded pigeon, A Man Called Otto's feral yet easily domesticated cat, Everything Everywhere All At Once's weaponized pom, the homicidal chimp and lion of Nope and Beast, respectively, and Babylon's diarrhetic elephant. If you prefer fantastical beasties, the titular animated characters from The Sea Beast, My Father's Dragon, and DC League of Super Pets had their charms while "Socks" the robot...

Disney swept the animation category with three nominations last Oscar season, culminating in a win for Encanto. This year, Netflix is coming on strong with more than a few contenders, including Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. DreamWorks Animation is back with a few contenders of its own, while Apple, A24 and Gkids are seeking their first Oscar win for Best Animated Feature. With only five nominations available, who will go on to compete for the prize?

Walt Disney Studios has a few contenders this year, but their frontrunner is Pixar’s Turning Red. Director Domee Shi revisited her own awkward teen years to create a story of a young girl struggling to please her family as she enters adolescence. Turning Red follows Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl from Toronto who works at her family’s temple to make her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), proud. Due to a family blessing/curse,...

Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo wants to see a film adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. For four seasons of Netflix's hit series, Matarazzo has endeared himself to audiences with his performance as the fan-favorite Dustin Henderson, an integral part of the show's core friend group. Fresh off the success of Stranger Things season 4, Matarazzo has remained busy, proving himself as a more than capable leading man in the romantic coming-of-age comedy Honor Society for Paramount+. He also recently provided the voice of the lovable Boris the Drago in the animated film, My Father's Dragon.

In addition to being a versatile actor, both on the stage and screen, Matarazzo is a well-known gaming enthusiast and lifelong Nintendo fan. The Stranger Things star has primarily been a longtime fan time of the Pokémon anime series, though there is one particular Nintendo franchise he thinks is ripe for a film adaptation.

The hand-drawn animated feature Ember from Klaus filmmaker Sergio Pablos is not moving forward at Netflix, Deadline can confirm.

We hear that the decision had to do with creative rather than financials, and is the sort that is par for the course in animation, where projects come together over a longer timeline. Pablos will now be afforded the opportunity to shop the project elsewhere.

First announced by Netflix back in June, Ember is billed as an epic adventure tale of humankind’s quest for fire told through the eyes of young Dikika, who embarks on an impossible race to a distant volcano to retrieve the precious spark that will save her tribe. The project came to the streamer via Pablos’ company, The Spa Studios, and is one of several animated works to be scrapped at Netflix this year — joining a list that also includes titles like Wings of Fire, Antiracist...

The 2023 Golden Globes nominations were announced on Monday morning (December 12), leaving several projected heavy-hitters for the upcoming Oscars off the slate. The most notable rejection was “Women Talking,” which missed for Best Film Drama, Sarah Polley for Best Film Director and its pair of Best Film Supporting Actress contenders, Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy. Polley did manage to squeak out a nomination for Best Film Screenplay and Hildur Guðnadóttir was nominated for Best Film Score.

Other major contenders that won’t compete include Best Film Actress contenders Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Naomi Ackie (“I Wanna Dance With Somebody”). On the men’s side, Tom Cruise was shut out for “Top Gun: Maverick,” despite the film receiving a bid for Best Film Drama.

See 2023 Golden Globes nominations list: Nominees for 80th Annual Ceremony

On the TV side, Dominic West was shockingly snubbed for Best TV Drama Actor despite “The Crown” performing well across the board.

Three films will pick up six nominations apiece when the Golden Globe contenders are announced on December 12. That’s according to the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users who have placed their bets here in our predictions center. Scroll down to see our complete predictions with our projected winners highlighted in gold.

“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and “Women Talking” will be the leading films with six nominations apiece, though that doesn’t count Best Score and Best Original Song categories, which aren’t in our predictions center for the nominations round but could add to these films’ totals. All three are expected to reap Best Picture bids — “Women Talking” in the drama field, “Everything” and “Banshees” in comedy/musical.

SEEJanelle Monae (‘Glass Onion’) looking to make LGBTQ history at the Golden Globes

But only “Everything” is predicted to win its race. It’s...

The Golden Globes are returning to TV on January 10, 2023. NBC is bringing back the event a year after the telecast was scrapped due to controversies surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that gives out the awards. Recent Emmy winner Jerrod Carmichael will be hosting the event. But who will be nominated? Scroll down for our predictions listed in order of their racetrack odds with our projected winners highlighted in gold.

SEEJanelle Monae (‘Glass Onion’) looking to make LGBTQ history at the Golden Globes

The official list of contenders will be announced on Monday, December 12, and in anticipation of them, thousands of Gold Derby users have been betting on the nominees and winners in all film categories save Best Score, Best Song, and Best International Feature. That includes Expert journalists from major media outlets, the Editors who cover awards year-round for Gold Derby, the Top 24 Users who got the highest scores...

In anticipation of the kick-off of the first round of Oscars voting on December 12, the academy released the titles of the features that were deemed eligible to compete in three categories: animated, documentary and international.

This voting only runs for four days, with the shortlists in 10 categories released on Dec. 21. The nominations in these, and the other 13 categories, will be revealed on Jan. 24, 2023. The 95th Academy Awards are March 12, 2023.

Animated Feature (27 entries)

Voting on this award is restricted to academy members from any branch who volunteer to be on the screening committee and attest to having watched their assigned entries. Members rank their top five choices and a multi-step system of counting winnows the various contenders down to the final five nominees.

“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood”

“The Bad Guys”

“The Bob’s Burgers Movie”

“Charlotte”

“DC League of Super-Pets”

“Drifting Home”

“Eternal Spring”

“Goodbye, Don Glees!”

“Guillermo del Toro...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named the Animated, Documentary and International Features eligible for consideration at the 95th Academy Awards.

27 animated features have been placed before voters, along with 144 documentary features and international features from 92 countries.

Shortlists for Documentary and International Feature will be announced on December 21st, with Oscar nominations to be unveiled on January 24th. This year’s ceremony will be broadcast from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on March 12. Check out the lists of titles continuing along their journey toward Oscar below.

Animated Feature Film

“Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood”

“The Bad Guys”

“The Bob’s Burgers Movie”

“Charlotte”

“DC League of Super-Pets”

“Drifting Home”

“Eternal Spring”

“Goodbye, Don Glees!”

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”

“Inu-Oh”

“Lamya’s Poem”

“Lightyear”

“Little Nicholas, Happy as Can Be”

“Luck”

“Mad God”

“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”

“Minions: The Rise of Gru”

“My Father’s Dragon...

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the list of eligible films for the animated, documentary and international feature categories for this year’s 95th Oscars. Among the films in the running are Amazon’s documentary “Good Night Oppy,” Netflix’s German remake “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Apple’s animated collaboration with Skydance, “Luck.”

Both major and independent studios are well represented across the board. A24 is going forth with confidence after its NYFCC win for animated gem “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On,” which qualified for consideration. Documentaries are littered with harrowing stories from Neon (“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”), Sony Pictures Classics (“Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb”) and IFC Films (“Bad Axe”).

The international feature category has the strongest slate of contenders in years, including Belgium’s “Close,” Denmark’s “Holy Spider,” France’s “Saint Omer,...

As calls for diversity and gender parity in entertainment are reshaping the industry, animation continues to promote and represent women in game-changing roles, for executives and creative leaders.

Jennifer Lee leads Walt Disney Animation Studios. Kristine Belson runs Sony Animation. Karen Toliver heads Netflix’s toon arm. Ramsey Naito oversees Nickelodeon. Margie Cohn tops DreamWorks. And of course there are a many more.

“I think it was initially maybe 10 or 15 years ago, it was an area where women could get into a leadership role, somewhere on the ladder of say series production as a production executive, or studio executive in a junior way,” says Meredith Roberts, executive vice president, TV animation, Disney branded television.

“Over time they’ve had success and they’ve climbed the ladder and become much higher caliber, top producers, a senior studio level people, and along the way, because they were afforded those opportunities, they’ve...

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“This year, it’s very telling that all the animated movies are concerned with death. And also fathers, sons, daughters, mothers. Really, two themes unifying all our movies,” Guillermo del Toro observed as he and his fellow animators gathered to talk shop in a virtual roundtable on Nov. 2. In the stop-motion Pinocchio, directors del Toro and Mark Gustafson reimagine the oft-told tale of the puppet who yearns to be a real boy in 1930s Fascist Italy, while Joel Crawford’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish continues the adventures of another familiar character as he confronts his ninth and possibly final life. Henry Selick’s stop-motion Wendell & Wild revolves around an orphaned girl who teams up with two demons from the underworld; Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon, based on the children’s novel, tells of a young boy who joins forces...